LAPD arrests in Xinran Ji case: USC statement

The following are USC remarks from a press conference held by the Los Angeles Police Department on July 28 to announce the arrest of four suspects in the death of graduate student Xinran Ji.

Statement from Todd Dickey

My name is Todd Dickey and I’m USC’s senior vice president for administration. In that role one of my responsibilities is the oversight of USC’s Department of Public Safety.

Before I express the university’s gratitude and relief at the success of this investigation, I want to acknowledge the immeasurable pain being experienced by the family and friends of Xinran Ji. On behalf of USC President Max Nikias, we want Xinran’s family and friends to know that the entire USC community mourns with them. Xinran enrolled at USC in fall of 2013 as a master’s student in electrical engineering. He had been an outstanding student at Zhejiang University in China, where he won a scholarship for excellence in research and innovation. He also won third prize in Zhejiang University’s mathematical modeling contest, and he was a vice director and senior press photographer for a popular student news site. Xinran was an avid photographer, loved cycling and enjoyed playing badminton, and he was an excellent student and a talented researcher.

No arrest or conviction in this case can ever achieve true justice, because that could only come about by the return of Xinran to his loved ones.

But the news today of the arrest of four suspects allows us to start moving forward from the shock of this tragedy. I cannot overstate the admiration and appreciation we feel for the Los Angeles Police Department, and for the leadership of Chief Charlie Beck and Assistant Chief Earl Paysinger, and the many officers working on this case who are here today. The LAPD identified and apprehended the suspects within hours of the assault that caused Xinran’s fatal injuries. Detectives worked around the clock to build the case that led to the charges announced today. So thank you to everyone at the LAPD.

I also want to thank and acknowledge our USC Department of Public Safety, led by Chief John Thomas, whose security technology made an important contribution to the investigation.

All of us at USC will continue to do our best to provide a secure environment for our campus and the area around it, hoping to avoid such senseless tragedies. The university and the LAPD together have significantly improved security on campus and in the surrounding neighborhoods.  We recognize however that statistics provide little consolation when we lose one of our own.

Unfortunately, tragic events of this kind can take place despite our best efforts, and our entire community is grieving the loss of our student.  We will redouble our efforts to inform our students of the many security resources available to them, and we will continue to work with the LAPD and focus on further improving security in our neighborhood. We are reviewing everything. Nothing is off the table. Our students are our highest priority

USC as a community continues to grieve deeply for Xinran, his family and his friends.  The USC Viterbi School of Engineering will hold a memorial to celebrate his life when his parents are here later this week. Thank you.

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